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Oughterard Trout Hatchery

 

 

 

 
Oughterard Trout Hatchery is the oldest running hatchery in the world. It commenced operations in 1852 as a salmon hatchery and became a trout hatchery at the turn of the 20th century.
 
It belongs to the Lough Corrib Angling Federation and is run on a voluntary basis by local anglers.
 
The present hatchery team has been running operations since 1985.

 Volunteers at work

 

 

  

Every year, at the end of October, nets are laid on the Owenriff River where over the course of a week about 300 hen and 150 cock fish are taken to the hatchery.

 

     Puling fish and adult fish in a net in Owenriff River

 

 

In November the hen fish are stripped of their ova and these in turn are fertilized by the milt of the cock fish.

 

 Harvesting ova from hen and milt from cock

 

The ova are then left in the incubation unit of the hatchery and over the course of the next 3 months are tended to by volunteers of the hatchery team. During this time team members have to go in every night and make sure development is going as it should be and any damaged ova have to be removed.

 

 Incubation

 

Adult fish are released back to Lough Corrib a week or two after the stripping.

 

 

Between January and February the ova develop into fry and, on average about half a million trout fry are distributed through-out the Corrib system by all the angling clubs of Lough Corrib Angling Federation.
 
 
For further information on the hatchery, please contact:
 
Kevin Prunty
Secretary, Oughterard Anglers & Boatmen’s Association